The US Reporthttp://www.theusreport.com/the-us-report/News and political commentary for thinkative peopleMon, 05 Jan 2015 20:03:54 +00002008-2013/KayB.DayAll Rights Reserveden-USSquarespace V5 Site Server v5.13.467-253 (http://www.squarespace.com)Update on The US Report moveBlog WrapConservative MediaThe US ReportKay B. Day, EditorFri, 15 Nov 2013 19:16:16 +0000http://www.theusreport.com/the-us-report/2013/11/15/update-on-the-us-report-move.html221037:2183303:34430888We are still working on transferring The US Report to another host.

Because time is limited, I've had to put this off until I finish some other projects. We're paid up with this host for several more months, so there's not really a rush.

The move is proving more complicated than I anticipated.

Meanwhile, please keep up with our columns at DAY ON THE DAY. You'll find news and commentary about what's going on in the U.S. at that site, posted on a daily basis.

We'll let you know when our move is complete. Thanks for sticking with us through what has been a nightmare and a definite challenge to our time. Best, Kay B. Day/editor

U.S. Army Sgt. John Keller, a mortarman with Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, sets up an M224 60 mm mortar system during live-fire training at Forward Operating Base Torkham, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Sept. 27, 2013. (Caption: DoD; photo by Staff Sgt. Jerry Saslav, U.S. Army National Guard)When President George W. Bush was in office, media paid a great deal of attention to the war in Afghanistan. After President Barack Obama took the Oval Office, coverage declined steeply even though troop deaths increased significantly.

Many Americans may not realize the U.S. military still has approximately 60,000 troops still serving in Afghanistan. [Brookings/Aug., 2013] Yet media pay scant attention to that or the notable increase in casualties.

Afghanistan has been viewed by most as the “righteous” war because that country harbored the Taliban, fanatics who are among the fiercest oppressors of women and freedom in general in the world today. The Taliban gave refuge to Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, managing for years to do what they wanted when President Bill Clinton ran the White House.

Each generation of Americans has been touched by war. For my children, the War on Terror is a defining moment in their youth. The Gulf War, when many in this generation had parents who served, is another. The fact our military is now all-volunteer is an indication of the commitment to service that generation holds.

On Veterans Day, we should remember those sons and daughters still serving in a country torn by war and tyranny for generations. And we should concern ourselves with what comes after, especially to the women there, once our troop withdrawal is complete.

Restrictive rules of engagement, largely due to leftwing dove influence on Democrats, are one factor in the deaths. Breitbart reported an interview with a U.S. Marine:

“During the Bush administration, we were able to engage terrorists planting IEDs with greater ease. Now, if we see two guys on the side of the road and it looks like they're planting an IED, we are told to wait -- because they might be farmers.”

Three employees of Virginia’s Dept. of Motor Vehicles pled guilty to a conspiracy to obtain official state IDs or driver’s licenses for people the U.S. Dept. of Justice described as “undocumented aliens.” The criminal conduct ran from Sept., 2007 to July, 2010.

The Washington Post (11-7-2013) cited the number of illegal license holders “as many as 300 people.”

The case was tried in the Eastern District of Virginia. The Post cited the Fairfax DMV location as the office DMV employee Noemi Barboza drove “illegal immigrants” to where another employee would rubber stamp applications for state IDs like driver’s licenses and ID cards. The government employees made thousands of dollars off the people seeking the illegal licenses.

Fairfax is considered a Democrat stronghold; it played a key role in Terry McAuliffe’s narrow win over Republican Ken Cuccinelli in the recent Virginia governor’s race.

Once an individual has a state-issued ID in Virginia, it’s easy to vote if the individual provides a social security number.

Numerous news releases at the U.S. Dept. of Justice show that ID fraud is rampant. The department led by Attorney General Eric Holder has chosen to go after states with strong voter ID laws rather than potential vote fraud. Holder and Democrats often cite the lack of vote fraud cases as evidence there isn’t a problem with illegal votes. However, states prosecute such cases as well and those cases are rarely mentioned.

The official DOJ release said:

According to the indictment, from September 2007 to July 2010, the defendants solicited cash payments from undocumented aliens in return for helping them secure DMV documents for which they were not eligible.After the defendants collected cash from ineligible applicants, they provided a DMV employee a portion of the money to induce her to falsely verify that the ineligible applicants had produced documentation necessary to establish eligibility for issuance of the requested DMV documents.The defendants also accompanied ineligible applicants to the DMV Service Center located at the Fair Oaks Mall and directed them to the DMV employee who had accepted bribes.

If you are age 19 or older, you must show two proofs of identity, one proof of legal presence and one proof of Virginia residency. Proof of your social security number (if you have been issued one) is also required…

Once a Virginia resident has a state-issued ID, registering to vote is easy. The state Board of Elections website said when applying by mail: “Please enclose a copy of one of the following documents that shows your name and address with your application: (1) current and valid photo ID, (2) current utility bill, (3) bank statement, (4) government check, (5) paycheck, or (6) other government document."

The impact of illegal licenses on insurance fraud and claims as well as vehicle accidents is apparently not an issue for the DOJ, although American consumers pick up the tab.

(Filed by Kay B. Day/Nov. 8, 2013)

]]>http://www.theusreport.com/the-us-report/rss-comments-entry-34411503.xmlLightbeam turned up 10 third party sites on government healthcare websiteDemocratsLightbeamObamacareUS Healthcaregovernment snoopingthird party sitesKay B. Day, EditorFri, 25 Oct 2013 17:24:31 +0000http://www.theusreport.com/the-us-report/2013/10/25/lightbeam-turned-up-10-third-party-sites-on-government-healt.html221037:2183303:34366756Mozilla has a new add-on for Firefox called Lightbeam. I call it the snoop-back tool because the add-on lets you see third party sites who connect to your activity once you land on a particular website. Today I decided to check the Obamacare tax site, Healthcare.gov with Lightbeam.

How many third parties were there? Ten, and all I did was click on the page. I didn't enter a single bit of information.

]]>http://www.theusreport.com/the-us-report/rss-comments-entry-34366756.xmlPallone calls Obamacare hearing “monkey court”; his top donor industries dominated by healthcareDemocratsFrank PalloneObamaObamacare hearingsUS HealthcareKay B. Day, EditorThu, 24 Oct 2013 15:37:30 +0000http://www.theusreport.com/the-us-report/2013/10/24/pallone-calls-obamacare-hearing-monkey-court-his-top-donor-i.html221037:2183303:34363377New Jersey congressman Frank Pallone (D) used his time during the House Energy and Commerce Committee Hearings on Thursday to call the hearings a “monkey court.” The hearings titled “PPACA Implementation Failures: Didn’t Know or Didn’t Disclose?” began at 9 a.m., and Pallone did a large amount of cheerleading for the federal health tax bill that requires every American to purchase a product.

Pallone has more reasons than one to defend the bill, starting with his campaign contributions. Read more at Day on the Day.

]]>http://www.theusreport.com/the-us-report/rss-comments-entry-34363377.xmlPresident’s whiplash a product of pushing shutdown instead of working with GOPConsumersDemocratsObamaObamacare websiteshutdownKay B. Day, EditorThu, 24 Oct 2013 13:54:03 +0000http://www.theusreport.com/the-us-report/2013/10/24/presidents-whiplash-a-product-of-pushing-shutdown-instead-of.html221037:2183303:34363091What goes around really does come around, and there’s no better example of that than President Barack Obama’s current whiplash as a result of the rollout of his signature health tax bill. The website is an exercise in frustration for most, and now some Democrats are calling for a delay in the federal individual mandate forcing Americans to purchase a health insurance policy. Read more at Day on the Day.]]>http://www.theusreport.com/the-us-report/rss-comments-entry-34363091.xmlJacksonville’s week of mishaps: Mathews Bridge hit and airport shutdownKay B. Day, EditorWed, 02 Oct 2013 12:45:32 +0000http://www.theusreport.com/the-us-report/2013/10/2/jacksonvilles-week-of-mishaps-mathews-bridge-hit-and-airport.html221037:2183303:34300975

Jacksonville (Fla.), Jax to most of us who live here, had two mishaps in the last 7 days, inconveniencing travelers.

First the Mathews Bridge was seriously damaged when it was hit by a cargo ship towed by tugboats on Thursday. The bridge is heavily trafficked and thousands of commuters are now being rerouted because it’s closed indefinitely.

On Tuesday, the Jacksonville International Airport shut down for hours. CBS 47 News said a passenger on her way to Washington (D.C.) sent the station video of a man being taken into custody. The man was reportedly acting suspicious and refused to sit down. He was also said to have a backpack.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office issued a brief statement:

On Tuesday, October 1, 2013, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office was called to assist the Jacksonville Aviation Authority regarding a possible suspicious package.

The JSO Bomb Squad responded to the airport and conducted a thorough search of the facility. A device was located, removed from the area, and rendered safe by the Bomb Squad.

The JSO continues to work closely with the JAA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine the nature of the activity at the airport.

On camera, one spokesperson told CBS 47 on Tuesday night the package rendered safe did have “destructive” properties, but he didn’t go so far as to call it a bomb.

Jacksonville is, according to local lore, the largest city in land area in the contiguous United States. As a resident, I can say it’s a fantastic place to live and raise a family, with beaches, special natural areas and parks, and the NFL Jaguars as well as a great rugby team, the Axemen. The rugby team won the USA Rugby League national championship in 2012. Another well-kept secret is a thriving live music community, with many different styles and performers at venues around the city every day of the week.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Frame grab: Fox News)I can’t watch Benjamin Netanyahu speak without being mesmerized. Maybe it’s the voice made for public speaking. Maybe it’s the earnestness. More likely it’s the timbre in the voice coupled with the knowledge Israel must feel very vulnerable right now.

There’s a personal element for me as well. Much of my heritage, my faith, and classical education comes directly from the Jewish faith, as it does for many Christians my age. Some may sneer at that statement; I don’t care because it’s true.

As Netanyahu looked at members in the assembly, there was a point in his address when he said, “Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons…If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone.” He said that in doing so, Israel would be defending “many, many others.” That nuanced statement references other Mideast countries who are also concerned about Iran’s objectives.

Speaking to a UN body where quite a few seats were empty, Netanyahu got across a necessary point. Iran is well on its way to nuclear weapons and because that country has repeatedly vowed to annihilate Israel, the prime minister’s concerns are not overblown.

For a moment, cameras panned to UN Ambassador Samantha Power as she listened to Netanyahu’s speech. At least I think it was Power. She had a look of incredulity on her face, or anguish. I’m not sure which.

Netanyahu invoked North Korea as an example of a dangerous regime that worked its way, despite sanctions and rhetoric, to nuclear weaponry.North Korea denied the goal of nuclear weapons—until they got them. The irony is that the United States, under the Democrat President Bill Clinton, helped pay for the weapons indirectly. Details on concessions Clinton made to the North Koreans are explained in Ben Johnson’s analysis at Front Page magazine, “Appeasing North Korea: The Clinton Legacy.” Johnson wrote:

“In August 1998, North Korea lobbed a Taepo Dong 1 missile over Japan. Four months later, officials refused U.S. inspectors access to a suspected underground nuclear reactor at Kumchang-ni.President Clinton then sweetened the deal by rewarding Kim Jong Il's half-year-long stall tactics with 1.1 million tons of food worth nearly $200 million. Not surprisingly, American inspectors found no signs of wrongdoing at the long-sanitized facility.”

Reports surfaced claiming the food was used to feed North Korea’s military rather than the country’s people. Clinton fought with Republicans about the matter, but held to his vision of an honest, peaceful North Korea. The communist country proved Clinton wrong.

North Korea had pursued a long path to those weapons, but they manifested under Clinton.

Netanyahu called Iran’s new president Hasan Rouhani a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” It was evident that President Barack Obama’s overtures to Rouhani are a source of concern for Israel despite official statements.

Netanyahu said he and other Israeli prime ministers have been willing to make “painful concessions” to Palestinian leaders to achieve peace, but those leaders aren’t willing to compromise. They refuse to recognize the legitimacy of Israel.

Netanyahu told a story about his grandfather being beaten by anti-Semites in Europe. Netanyahu said, “Together we’ve transformed a bludgeoned Jewish people left for dead” into a vibrant homeland. “The people of Israel have come home, never to be uprooted again,” he said.

It was impossible to hear Netanyahu’s speech, and not feel sorrow for Israel and sorrow for the United States as my country gradually lets go of a leadership role that has benefited countries around the world for many years despite “progressive” historians’ claims to the contrary. It’s worse when you realize that, despite lessons of the past, we seem doomed to repeat errors in judgment more often than we should.

As for Power, if that was the ambassador in the audience, she seemed surprised by what the prime minister was saying. That didn’t surprise me at all.

On Twitchy, directly beneath this snip, snips from users in states around the nation indicated the exchange site had crashed. (Snip: Twitchy)As Monday evening crawled to an end, political junkies on Twitter debated the pending government shutdown, and putdowns flew across cyberspace like a shower of meteors.

The term #HarryReidsShutdown trended for hours, with Republicans mocking the ageing, defiant Senate head for his uncompromising stance on various offers put forth by the House GOP. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) appeared to have forgotten the legal power of the purse resides in the House.

One user named Woot took a special interest in tweets from The US Report:

“@TheUSReport glad you find sinking the national economy amusing. Country > party”

Woot appeared to forget past shutdowns did not result in the economy crashing. As a matter of fact, the 1990s shutdown yielded welfare reform and a balanced budget, largely due to the efforts of then-Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), with President Bill Clinton kicking and screaming all the way to the negotiating table. Clinton, a Democrat, now takes credit for the policy he fought as president.

One person, responding to Democrats’ meme that Obamacare is the “law of the land,” said, “The fugitive slave act was the ‘law of the land’ when legislators fought against it.” Northern states used nullification in an attempt to stop the federal government from forcing them to hand over runaway slaves.

Other statutes have been completely disregarded by the Obama administration, including numerous immigration statutes that are also “the law of the land.”

Some tweeting in the wee hours after the government’s Obamacare exchange site was supposed to open said the site had already crashed. Complaints about crashes continue as this column is written.

Other news broke as well. In a moment of near-poetic irony, Front Page Magazine noted that the national Democrats’ party is saddled by debt, owing approximately $18.1 million to creditors.

On Twitchy, a site that aggregates tweets from high profile and other users, there was a snip of President Barack Obama’s message saying that Obamacare could not be “shut down.” Below that snip were many others from around the country where users were complaining the Obamacare exchange site had crashed.

Thus, the president shut down his own bill, albeit temporarily. Obama has given a one year delay, largely benefiting big corporations, to employers on the mandate, but no delay has been given to American workers other than union workers via waivers.

Ironically despite Reid and President Barack Obama’s stubborn refusal to compromise with Republicans, Democrats have already given political allies waivers, postponements and outright repeals on unpopular taxes and diktats in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act commonly called Obamacare. Federal employees, members of Congress, the president and his appointees are all getting fat subsidies to help cover insurance premiums, a perk not available to American taxpayers who will pay for the costly bill.

The only political entity Democrats have refused to negotiate with is the House controlled by Republicans.

One development has been consistently overlooked by Democrats. In the 1990s, there was a very uneven playing field in media, with conservatives and libertarians outgunned. That has changed, with a robust alternative media carrying messaging that doesn’t align with “progressive” propaganda.

Americans remain deeply uninformed about the true implications of the PPACA/Obamacare bill, including tax hikes on the sickest among us. No reporter has asked the president or Reid about that. There are also serious, valid concerns about the security of the historic amount of personal data Americans will turn over to a number of government agencies like IRS, HHS and even DHS.

Reporters hammed it up while waiting for the president who was about 15 minutes late to the presser he called. (Frame grab/Fox News)President Barack Obama arrived at the podium about 15 minutes late during the presser he called about the continuing resolution to fund all government. On Monday, the president delivered the customary remarks, reassuring social security recipients and Medicare recipients about continuing checks and services.

Obama made brief remarks and took no questions, but there are at least 5 someone should ask him.

He also levied the usual harsh remarks towards those Republicans he called the “extreme right wing of their party.” Democrats have routinely painted that wing, allegedly the tea party wing, as mostly white. However, the president overlooked a major characteristic of many critics of Obamacare—those who lean libertarian in hopes of true government reform.

Obama also mentioned the fact the federal government is the largest employer in the country, with more than 2 million in the civilian workforce. To an individual who believes in an efficient streamlined government, that figure is a definite concern.

Obama took no questions, but there are some that should be asked. He has painted Obamacare as the savior of uninsured Americans. Fact is, the bill will harm some of the sickest among us. It would be a good thing if someone could ask the following:

*Why did Democrats choose to levy a tax hike on the sickest Americans by increasing the threshold for medical deductions on taxes? The old rate was already a high benchmark, at 7.5 percent. Obamacare raises the threshold, meaning your medical expenses must exceed 10 percent of your adjusted gross income for you to take even a penny in deductions.

*Why did Democrats attack Flexible Spending Accounts? One groupof people who use FSAs are those who have special needs children. Yet Democrats passed a tax hike in Obamacare to raise roughy $13 billion more in tax revenue from FSA holders who assumed the most responsibility for their healthcare. In case you didn’t know, last year the government had the largest year ever for tax revenue.

*Why did Obama and Congress give federal employees a break on health insurance costs other Americans will not receive? Taxpayers will cover the cost breaks.

*Why did the Obama administration grant a waiver delaying the 40 percent tax on high cost insurance plans called ‘Cadillac’ plans? That tax would primarily impact labor union families and early retirees. Is it legal to give a political bloc supporting Democrats a special break?

*Why did Democrats decide to pass a sweeping tax on medical devices, knowing that every patient who needs some devices—stents, artificial joints, and others—are already likely experiencing high medical costs and will bear the increases indirectly?

Democrats could have passed regulatory reform—keeping children on parents’ policies and the non-denial for existing conditions—in a simple bill. Instead they loaded up the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act with more than a dozen taxes. Some affect the sickest Americans.